Slumber in Colonial Opulence at Surabaya’s Hotel Majapahit

Jakarta Globe, Basten Gokkon, Oct 11, 2014

The lush gardens, plush decor and heavy ambiance of colonial luxury at Surabaya’s
 Hotel Majapahit offer visitors a rare glimpse into the world of wealth and royalty of
the early 20th century. (Photo courtesy of Hotel Majapahit)

Named after the single most enduring kingdom in ancient Indonesia, the Kingdom of Majapahit, the five-star hotel stands proudly — with its facade reflecting the typical European extravagance of white-colored pilasters and giant pillars — on Jalan Tunjungan, a Surabaya business district.

Hotel Majapahit may be Indonesia’s most historically relevant, having witnessed the country’s independence from both Dutch colonialism and Japanese occupation.

Through the course of more than a century, Hotel Majapahit’s history traced back to when Lucas Martin Sarkies, a high-profile hospitality businessman, purchased a 1,000 square meter block of land in 1900 on the aforementioned street to follow his father’s legacy in developing a luxury hotel.

He then commissioned Regent Alfred John Bidwell, a renowned designer at the time, to develop a Dutch colonial art nouveau hotel named Oranje Hotel, after the Dutch royal family. The luxury accommodation started catering to its top-class clientele in 1911.

In 1936, the management expanded on the structure to include an Art Deco style lobby extension. The inauguration was made by a royal party of Crown Prince Leopold III and Princess Astrid of Belgium and the famous silent movie star Charlie Chaplin, accompanied by American actress Paulette Goddard and writer Joseph Conrad.

Apart from hosting famous global personas, the hotel also served as a historical venue for a five-year armed struggle against the colonial powers. In 1942, the Imperial Japanese Forces took over the Oranje Hotel and renamed it Hotel Yamato, turning the building into their headquarters in East Java and also as a camp for Dutch prisoners of war.

At the end of World War II, English and Dutch country section officers returned to Surabaya and stormed room 33, where the Dutch occupation had set its temporary headquarters and demanded an explanation about the raising of the Dutch flag on the hotel roof’s mast.

As Indonesia declared independence on Aug. 17, 1945, the anticolonial group “Arek-Arek Suroboyo” refused to see their newly independent country return to colonialism. They rushed to the hotel roof and tore off the bottom blue strip of the Dutch flag to retain the red and white parts, identifying the merah-putih (red-white) colors of the current Indonesian flag.

The hotel was renamed to Hotel Merdeka (Independence Hotel).

However, the building received yet another moniker one year later, when famed Armenian hoteliers, the Sarkies Brothers, returned to manage the hotel and changed the name L.M.S. Hotel as a tribute to its founding father Lucas Martin Sarkies.

However, more rebranding efforts followed from 1969 to 2003 as the hotel changed hands from one owner to another. With the each new proprietor also came renovations, which eventually turned the old Dutch structure into a five-star, deluxe hotel.

In 2006, it was finally dubbed with its current name of Hotel Majapahit under CCM Group, one of Indonesia’s leading conglomerate companies.

(Photo courtesy of Hotel Majapahit)

Allowing visitors to stay overnight

Now 104 years old, the hotel’s management has worked to preserve its heritage and the historical remnants housed within its walls, all of which have ostensibly become a distinctive attraction to travelers who wish to experience the majestic atmosphere of the hotel.

“We think [the hotel] can [continue to] survive, because we have some features that others don’t. Our North Garden, for example, has become our mascot of sorts,” Emiliana Ayundra, marketing communications supervisor of the hotel, said.

Hotel Majapahit aims to serve travelers as one of Surabaya’s must-see destinations with entire rooms that provide a glimpse of colonial elegance and extravagance; rooms that house huge, layered chandeliers hung from high ceiling; grand wooden doors carved with European flowers; and plush Arabian carpets.

With 143 rooms — each decorated to match the hotel’s historical angle — to choose from, including executive suites, garden terrace rooms and Majapahit suites, Hotel Majapahit promises an oasis of personalized calm, classic colonial elegance and chic simplicity.

To indulge its clientele’s appetite, the Sarkies Restaurant — certainly named after the hotel’s founding father as an honor — offers discerning travelers a wide selection of Asian and Western dishes in colonial surroundings.

Meanwhile, the hotel also pampers visitors with spa facilities that offer luxurious traditional treatments using local beauty products sponsored by internationally acclaimed Indonesian brand Martha Tilaar.

Hotel Majapahit is also fully equipped with a gymnasium, tennis court, Jacuzzi, sauna, a 25-meter swimming pool as well as a children’s pool, all completing the accommodation’s luxurious antiquated-meets-modern ambiance.

“We can say that most of our clientele come from high-class communities, such as diplomats, businessmen and celebrities,” Emiliana said.

“We attract these kinds of clients with the interesting history behind the hotel, the authentic structure — which is very different from other hotels in Surabaya — and our wonderful gardens.”

Hotel Majapahit, a landmark colonial hotel exuding heritage and class, has received several awards, including the National Geographic Traveler award in architecture and design in 2009, the 2012 Favorite Hotel in Indonesia award by the Tourism Awards of Indonesia, and the Certificate of Excellence by travel website TripAdvisor from 2012 to 2014.

“It’s all very tasteful indeed, with colonnaded courtyards, fountains, verdant greenery and a gorgeous pool area,” popular travel guide Lonely Planet writes in its review of the hotel.

Changes ahead for ancient royal city Klungkung

Richard Mann, Contributor The Jakarta Post, Klungkung | Thu, 01/21/2010 11:35 AM | Surfing Bali

Community leaders in Klungkung are planning to better promote the former royal city – the seat of Bali’s last king over a century ago.

In 1908, the sleepy center of modern Klungkung, East Bali, crackled with Dutch gun fire and the screams of the dying as the royal family staged a mass suicide rather than surrender to the colonialists.

Some of the royal family survived after years of exile on nearby Lombok Island and the royal family is among those who are now suggesting that a promotional map be made and distributed to visitors showing objects and areas of interest.

Today, the royal family lives in a new palace built in the 1920s about 100 meters south of what was destroyed by the Dutch and virtually unknown to visitors.

All that remains of the old palace is a single gate on the East side of the Kerta Gosa (Judgement Hall) compound with the two halls built in the style of floating pavilions, which were also used to welcome noted guests.

The accused were arraigned in the Hall of Justice until 1950 and lurid ceiling paintings depict some of the gruesome if fanciful punishment awaiting the convicted.

Across the street from Kerta Gosa arises the towering brick phallus of the Lingga Yoni Monument and inside bronze statues of Klungkung’s slaughtered last king and his retainers.

Within the Kerta Gosa compound can be found the Semarajaya Museum, named after the old palace.

And inside, an oil painting shows Dutch troops aggressively firing on the helpless royal family.

But Klungkung is not all about death and destruction.

It is a very traditional town and regency seemingly passed by time, but where the old ways linger on as part of a pattern of culture and religion going back centuries.

It was to Klungkung in the 14th century that Javanese nobles fled with their followers unhappy with their Majapahit rulers’ conversion to Islam and determined to preserve and continue Hindu practices in Bali.

The first palace was at nearby Gelgel, and the Desa Bhuana Temple is one of the few survivors of what many Balinese call Bali’s “Golden Age”.

A stone gate dated 1422 can be seen at Gelgel’s Penataran Temple.

Family and political divisions led to the court being moved to Klungkung and, of course, palaces have courts and courtly needs.

Artists and craftsmen followed the immigrants from Java. Therefore over the years, the Klungkung palace was surrounded by stone and wood carvers, painters,gamelan makers, silver and goldsmiths, kris makers and all kinds of traditional craftsmen including boat builders who continue their craft to this day along the regency’s windy beaches.

Most visitors miss seeing the community of classical painters which survives at Kamasan, 2 kilometers east of Klungkung and their paintings focusing on the stories of Hindu epics as well as Balinese folklore.

They miss the gamelan makers of Tihingan, the silver and goldsmiths of Banjar Budaga and the last of what were once hundreds of families at Kusamba forging kris, incorporating the secrets and skills of the ages in weapons of great symbolism and even magic.

Chinese coins have long been revered in Bali for their value and the hope that possessing them might bring luck. They have therefore long been used in temple ceremonies, even as decorative items in buildings.

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has awarded family business UD Kamasan Bali for its work in resurrecting and expanding the ancient arts of using replica kepeng coins to make decorative items.

One place rarely missed is the traditional market opposite the main entrance to Kerta Gosa, a major regional centre for the making and buying of traditional Bali dress and temple accessories.

But what few know is that the gold threaded songket that can be found in Klungkung also continue design traditions of centuries, and that Klungkung’s royal families are among the most prolific weavers in their palaces around town.

The Nyoman Gunarsa Museum of Classican Balinese painting, south of Klungkung, brings together many of the threads of Klungkung’s long history, showing some of the region’s best and oldest art as well as architecture.

As if to underline the importance of the collection at this museum, “Visit Museum Year 2010” opened in Bali with a packed ceremony to award 10 museums for their contribution to preserving Bali’s culture and history.

In a message, Bali Governor, Made Mangku Pastika, said that Bali’s museums should be developed and empowered with a variety of activities and creativity so that people can have a clear understanding of their purpose and value.

Klungkung’s and indeed Bali’s leaders are aware that more needs to be done, for example, to interest local teachers in history and museums so that school children will have a better understanding of their roots.

Klungkung will finish 2010 with three museums and two performing arts centers located within a few minutes of the historic heart of old Klungkung.

As the Regency’s reputation grows as the birthplace of Bali’s Majapahit Hindu culture, community leaders hope that accommodation for visitors, restaurants and art shops will be encouraged to develop.

Ruins of Majapahit Obscured By Apathy

Jakarta Globe, Rusmailia Lenggogeni

Candi Tikus (Rat Temple) at Trowulan. (JG Photos/Rusmailia Lenggogeni)

If the road to hell is paved with good intentions, then I would say the roads of Trowulan — home to the Majapahit ruins, one of Asia’s most important civilizations and archaeological ruins — is littered with one well-intentioned mishap after another.

Majapahit was a major Hindu-Buddhist kingdom that reigned from the 13th century for roughly 300 years and counted most of modern-day Indonesia and several Southeast Asian territories as part of its dominion. Its importance was chronicled by the Chinese, Portuguese and Italians.

Trowulan in Mojokerto, East Java, was the capital, and excavation has revealed a city with a drainage system, residential area, temples, markets, cemeteries and even dams. So why is it not more popular? Guidebooks barely mention it, giving the monkey forest of Bali’s Ubud more column space. Tour agents offer more trips to Bromo than to Trowulan, putting it on the itinerary as if it were an afterthought. When I visited, less than 10 tourists were exploring the sprawling complex.

The lack of visitors belies the site’s historical importance. The ruins are well-preserved and the entrance fee is basically nonexistent. What’s not to love? Plenty, apparently.

Information about the site is limited. This goes for even the most basic tips, such as how to get there. The nearest major city is Surabaya, but there is no direct transport to the site. One has to catch a bus to Solo and asked to be dropped off in Trowulan, where there are no signs to point you in the right direction.

People who have visited the site agree that in order to make sense of the ruins, which are scattered in the sprawling area, the first thing to do is visit the museum. But when asked about its location, some locals replied, “The new museum or the old one?”

The new Majapahit Information Center is a pleasant facility with a well-manicured lawn located near a big pool that was once used as by the kingdom’s denizens as a recreational area that doubled as a reservoir. The museum doesn’t charge an entrance fee — at least no one asked for one when I entered. But the layout of the information center was puzzling.

The receptionist, although friendly and knowledgeable enough when asked about the displays, didn’t seem very interested in engaging guests.

One would think that the exhibition should start with the history of Majapahit and its timeline to give guests a quick, overall understanding of the subject. There was no such thing. In fact, the first exhibit has nothing to do with the kingdom at all, showcasing prehistoric artifacts from before the Majapahit era, found in the surrounding area. Sitting pretty with fossils of an extinct elephant and Stone Age utensils were strings of modern-looking beads, not unlike those found in souvenir stalls, in the craft display. To be fair, the museum did explain that these were actually modern beads, but why not create a reproduction that looked like it belonged to the era instead?

A room was dedicated to Majapahit-era terracotta and another to its metalwork. The printed explanations were helpful, but the hodgepodge of designs made the text look like it had been written by several people working entirely independently. Some were printed in black and white, some in color, all with different typefaces. The big ones were obviously sloppily pasted together from several papers.

Some of the descriptions had nothing to do with the Majapahit civilization. There was a lengthy explanation of the history of Indonesia and the national law protecting historical artifacts. The latter was somewhat ironic, considering that the construction of this museum was widely protested by the archaeological community because it was erected over some of the ruins, destroying them forever.

The terrace at the rear of the museum was also filled with artifacts, but the same troubles resurfaced. There was no clear order to the displays and the text describing them was sketchy. A sign with information about Majapahit weaponry had a picture of a Papuan man wielding a spear. The signs sometimes referred to Majapahit, sometimes to the culture and crafts of modern-day Trowulan.

At the reception desk, I purchased a guidebook (more like a brochure) with a site map for the price of Rp 13,000 ($1.50). There was, however, no price tag on the book, so I just had to take the museum attendant’s word for it. I gave the map to my driver to follow. A good map is essential because the ruins are scattered throughout the massive complex, far away from each other and blended in with the current population. It looked so simple and straightforward on paper, but the map failed to show the real layout of the area.

The ruins themselves are amazing. Surprisingly, the majority of the ancient buildings are intact, with some of the temples still fully standing. The antique red bricks have managed to withstand the combined forces of time and nature.

But even here there was evidence of mismanagement. The backdrop is already beautifully green and fertile with rice paddies and lush mountains all around, but the ruins have unfortunately been dressed up with well-manicured grounds complete with topiaries. At the grounds of Candi Tikus (Rat Temple), some plants were arranged to spell out its name. But the pretty lawns were the least of my problems at the sites. In one of them, some unauthorized young men asked for a parking fee even though my car was sitting off-site.

All in all, touring Trowulan left a sour taste in my mouth. The quality of the ruins was superb, the scenery gorgeous, the history fascinating, but everything was tainted by careless mismanagement. In fact, the Majapahit archaeological site in Trowulan signifies what is wrong with the Indonesian tourism industry today: something that has great potential, squandered at a great price.

Govt ruined Majapahit artifacts

The Jakarta Post, JAKARTA | Thu, 01/15/2009 3:29 PM

The government admitted Wednesday the construction of Majapahit Park in Trowulan, East Java project initiated by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono - has ruined ancient artifacts buried beneath the site, and announced a plan to relocate the park immediately.

Bowing to mounting public pressure, Minister for Culture and Tourism Jero Wacik told reporters in Jakarta that the decision had been reached after he and several senior archeologists and architects had spoken about the damages to artifacts of the ancient Majapahit kingdom on the site. "I swear, I never meant to destroy Indonesia's heritage by constructing the Majapahit Park. I just wanted to follow the presidential instruction to revive the civilization of the Majapahit Kingdom as our heritage and to introduce it to young people," he said.

The project, initiated by Yudhoyono in November 2008 to establish a public cultural center dedicated to the ancient Majapahit kingdom, which was at the height of its powers in the 13th century, is located on a 2,200 square-meter plot just north of the center of what was once Trowulanthe largest city in the kingdom.

A number of archeologists have said the park construction, which sunk support pillars into the ground, had destroyed ancient stones, walls and artifacts.

I understand why the archeologists are mad at me. I'm also angry at the situation. This is human error and we have to fix it rather than blaming one another," Jero said.

"We have decided to relocate Majapahit Park to another area to prevent further damage to the artifacts."

Arya Abieta, a member of the team appointed to evaluate the damage, said the archeologists and architects working in the area had recommended that the park instead be developed on the edges of the historical site.

can use the area that has been heavily looted by locals. It will be safer than building on top of the remaining artifacts," Arya said.

The Trowulan site, located in Mojokerto, 70 kilometers southwest of Surabaya, East Java, was the site of tradition full-moon rituals during the golden era of the Majapahit Kingdom.

Long after the decline of the kingdom in 14th century, locals began to loot the palace and religious buildings, including Tikus Temple. Many artifacts have been stolen or destroyed.

"No one seemed to care much about this old city before the Majapahit Park project began. Now, every one seems to care, and this is good because we have to protect the Majapahit artifacts," Jero said. (naf)

SBY urges Indonesians to museums

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Expressing his concern over the public's lack of interest in visiting museums, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono encouraged people Wednesday to visit museums to learn from the wisdom of the past.

"Let us relive the past glory and pride to build Indonesia to become a developed, advanced and prosperous state. From museums we can learn to appreciate differences and become more tolerant," Yudhoyono told the opening ceremony of the Gedung Arca (Statue Building) at the National Museum.

The president said Indonesia had to be more creative in expanding economic alternatives such as eco-tourism and heritage economics to survive in the future.

He said museums, as repositories of the nation's cultural heritage, could be a new economic resource in the future.

The newly inaugurated building, located next to the main building of the National Museum, has four differently themed floors.

The floors deal with people and the environment; economics and science; social organization and settlement patterns; and ceramics and gold.

The building also boasts an exhibition of Majapahit artifacts from an excavation site in Trowulan, a small village in Mojokerto, East Java.

The Minister for Culture and Tourism Jero Wacik told reporters that the ministry supported Yudhoyono's call and was sending officials to learn museology and marketing at Padjajaran University in Bandung.

Jero said museums across the country shared similar problems of how to attract visitors.

"The hardest task is to encourage people to visit museums frequently. In order to do that, we need people who are experts in both museology and marketing. Future museum experts must be able to promote museums economically," he said.

Jero said the government had provided Rp 100 billion (US$ 11.1 million) for the Directorate General of History and Archeology.

This year's budget for the National Museum alone is Rp 15 billion (US$ 1.6 million).

The government has 287 museums in the country, including 56 in Jakarta. Some of the museums, such as the National Museum, are managed by the central government, while the others such as the Maritime Museum and the Textile Museum are under the management of the city administration.

The National Museum occupies 76,000 square meters of land and houses 140,900 precious objects including rare money, ceramics and gold jewelry. Jero said the museum's collection was one of the best in Southeast Asia.

The museum's director, Retno Sulistianingsih, said she planned to increase the number of visitors by conducting popular events, such as a singing contest, in the museum.

"We've also held exhibitions in shopping malls to encourage people to see artifacts in places they like to hang out," she said.

But Retno said she would need greater funding to promote more events at the museum.

She added that the museum only had Rp 6 billion for this year's budget, with staff salaries being the biggest expense.

The culture counselor at the U.S embassy, Michael H. Anderson, who attended Wednesday's ceremony, suggested Indonesia make museums a bridge between the past and the present by using lively and contemporary topics to bring people to their collections.